Austin Public Schools’ More Than Pink programs wins Regional Project Award
Austin Public Schools’ More Than Pink program has won a Regional Project Award from the Minnesota Community Education Association. The award is “presented to outstanding projects that have exemplified the concept of Community Education.” The award will be presented to the Austin School Board by a representative of the MCEA at the December School Board Meeting.
Now in its tenth year, More Than Pink is a program designed for girls who have completed third through sixth grade to empower themselves and each other. This 6-week summer program innovatively weaves training for a 5K run with lessons that empower girls to celebrate their bodies, honor their voices and embrace their gifts. A More Than Pink day consists of 60 minutes of physical activity, a Topic Talk lesson and group time. Topics include self-worth, body image, nutrition, puberty, peer pressure and more. Strong female role models from our community lead our Topic Talks.
The goals of More Than Pink are as follows: to help girls grow and develop mentally, physically, and socially with community support, to empower girls to be true to themselves, to gain healthy fitness habits that will have life-long benefits. The program concludes with a community 5K event that celebrates the learning, training, and community building that happened during the six-week program.
Austin’s Community Education program includes Austin Adult Learning, Community Education, Early Childhood Family Education, Early Childhood Preschool Programming, the Kids Korner program, and more.